Improvement in sound-boards for piano-fortes



UNITED STATES PATENTOFTTCE C. F. TH. STEINWAY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN-SOUNI'D-BOARDS FOR PIANO-FORTES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 88,749, dated April 6,1869.

To atl whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, C. F. TH. STEINWAY, of the city, county, and State ofN ew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Piano-Fortes;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to makeand use the saure, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich drawing- Figure l represents a plan or top view of my inventionwhen applied to an arched bridge. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionthereof. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of the same when the bridge issupported by ribs or braces situated between it and the sounding-board.Fig. et is a longitudinal section thereof.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to an improvement in piano-fortes of that classin which the contact of the sounding-board bridge with the sounding-board is interrupted either by making said bridge in the form of aseries of arches or by placing between the bridge and the soundingboarda series ot' ribs or braces, or in any other manner.

My invention consists in the arrangement of posts or dowels passingthrough buttons secured to the under or rear side of the sound.

in g-board, and thence upward, through the sounding-board and throughthe free spaces above it, into the suspended part of the bridge, in sucha manner that the suspended portions of the bridge are connected atdiiierent points with the sounding-board, whereby the capacity of thesame for receiving vibrations is increased, and harmonious intermediatetones are produced, which impart fullness and roundness to the soundsot' the instrument.

ln the drawing, the letter A designates the sounding-board bridge, and Bthe soundingboard. Said bridge, instead of being in direct contact withthe sounding-board, as usual, is constructed with suspended portionseither by cutting it out in the shape shown in Fig. 2 or by placing ribsor braces D between it and the sounding-board, as shown in Fig. 4, or byany other means whichwill produce the desired result.

Between the bridge and sounding-board, at suitable points of such freesuspendedportions, I interpose one or more dowels or posts, E, whichpass through and are secured to buttons F, placed on the under side ofthe sounding-board, and extend thence upward through the free spaceabove into the suspended portions of the bridge, thereby connecting thesounding board at the points where it is strengthened by said buttonswith the bridge.

One ofthe advantages of this arrangement is thatan enlarged capacity ofvibration is obtained for the suspended bridge and sounding-board.

Another advantage is that I obtain thereby harmonic intermediate tonesof vibration, which add fullness and roundness to the i11- creasedprolongation of sound realized by constructing the bridge with freesuspended portions.

I do not claim, broadly, as my invention to construct the bridge withfree suspended portions; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The dowels or posts E, arranged to connect the suspended portions of thebridge and sounding-board at one or more points, substantially asdescribed.

This speciiication signed by me this 29th day of December, 1868.

C. F. TH.. STEIN WAY.

Vitnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KAsTENnUBER.

